Chris Algieri Wins Tough With Bone: Browne Stops Sierra

By Thomas Gerbasi

Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
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In a junior lightweight swing bout, Titus Williams and Emmanuel Castro traded knockdowns in the first round before Williams pulled away, dropping his opponent once more in the third stanza en route to a six-round unanimous decision win.

Scores were 60-53, 60-54 and 59-54 for Elmont, New Yorks Williams, now 4-0 with 2 KOs. Los Angeles Castro falls to 2-2 with 2 KOs.

Chris Algieri got a stiff test from up and comer Erick Bone in their welterweight 10-rounder, but thanks to his world-class experience and a late knockdown, the former 140-pound titleholder was able to pick up a unanimous decision win that snapped a two-fight losing streak.

Scores were 95-94 and 97-92 twice for Algieri, now 21-2 with 8 KOs; Bone falls to 16-3 with 8 KOs.

Algieri, who was coming off back-to-back defeats against Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan, got off to a fast start, with his speed and volume of punches catching Bone off guard. In the second round though, Bone found his rhythm and began ripping off combinations, with a few hard shots catching the former champion flush.

The Ecuador native wasn't intimidated by the moment, and even with Algieri boxing well, Bone made him pay for any defensive lapses. And there were several.

In round four, the adrenalin had worn off both fighters and it was becoming a chess match at close range, a fight that favored the more experienced Algieri, who wasn’t at his best, but he didn't stop working. And as long as he didn't give Bone punching room, he was scoring points.

Bone was with Algieri every step of the way though, raising a nasty welt under the Long Islander’s left eye and never letting him truly pull away. Bur a right to the arm in the closing seconds of the eighth round knocked Bone off-balance and put him on the deck, making it an important two-point round for Algieri.

From there, Algieri began to land with more and more flush shots, snapping Bone’s head back as he looked to be on the verge of scoring another knockdown in the ninth before Bone rebounded late and then had a strong tenth round.

Staten Island light heavyweight prospect Marcus Browne moved into some good company with his fourth-round TKO of Francisco Sierra, joining the likes of Badou Jack, George Groves and Edison Miranda as fighters who have stopped the Mexico native.

Browne went to work immediately on Sierra’s midsection, perhaps hoping that the Mexican weighing in at 183 pounds for the light heavyweight bout meant that he was a little soft in the middle. And he clearly had an effect on Sierra, who was then cut over the left eye when Browne went upstairs.

Staying patient, Browne picked his shots well while getting out of the way of any incoming fire with ease. By the third frame, he was punishing his game but outmatched opponent, and as the fourth round began, referee Earl Brown had the doctor look at Sierra’s cut and a swelling on his face as well, and he had seen enough. The official time was :01 of round four.

Browne, a 2012 United States Olympian, moved to 17-0 with 13 KOs. Coacalco’s Sierra falls to 27-10-1 with 24 KOs.

An all-New York battle at light heavyweight was a crowd-pleasing one, with Shirley'’s Joe Smith Jr. outlasting Ozone Park’'s Will Rosinsky over ten rounds to earn the biggest win of his career.

Scores were 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 for Smith, now 20-1 with 16 KOs; Rosinsky falls to 19-3 with 10 KOs. Rosinsky has only previously lost to Kelly Pavlik and Edwin Rodriguez.

There were few lulls in the action throughout the ten rounder, but Smith's busier attack earned him the nod. Rosinsky, who had some difficulty when cut over the left eye in the fifth round, was at his best when able to close the distance and force Smith into a phone booth war. But when Smith used his height and reach, it was his fight as he kept the shorter Rosinsky at bay

Fighting for the first time since November of 2013, former WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman got a test out of Washington, DC’s Lenwood Dozier, but the Brooklynite still pulled out a close, but unanimous, eight-round decision win.

All three judges saw it 77-75 for Foreman, now 33-2 with 9 KOs; Dozier falls to 9-10-1, with 4 stops.

The fight was a typical Foreman affair, with the Belarus native busy enough to put points on the board and win, though not in spectacular fashion. And though Dozier scored with the biggest shot of the fight when he rocked Foreman in the opening round, he only fought in spurts, with his lack of urgency costing him on the final scorecards.

Cuban cruiserweight prospect Luis Garcia had no trouble with Baltimore’s Willie Williams in their bout, stopping him in just over a minute.

A left hook by Garcia barely 30 seconds in sent Williams to the deck hard. As Garcia went on the attack, Williams’ corner sent a commission inspector to the apron to ask for a stoppage, but it went on deaf ears until referee Danny Schiavone officially waved it off at the 1:03 mark.

Garcia, who now lives in Peekskill, NY, moves to 13-0 with 10 KOs; Williams falls to 14-11-2 with 4 KOs.

Jack “Shady” Grady was a throwback in name and style, but faced with the more technically sound John Hernandez in the four-round welterweight opener at Barclays Center, it was a long night for the game Buffalo product, who brought the fight to his foe all night but remained winless after losing a four-round unanimous decision.

Scores were 40-36 across the board for Huntington, NY’s Hernandez, now 6-1 with 1 KO; Grady falls to 0-3-1.